From the moment Stel could recall, everything was completely pitch-bck. She remembered the first sound that entered her ear—the sound of the carriage in the background. Her eyelids felt so heavy that she couldn’t lift them. A lot of things that happened in the past felt like a long dream, but she remembered every single detail and feeling she had experienced. Many anxieties, happiness, and regrets still lingered in her heart. The moment the sound of the moving carriage stopped, she could feel her body start to wake up from its long sleep.
“We have arrived, Lady Stel.”
The servant sitting opposite her notified her of their arrival before the carriage door opened. Without saying a word, she stepped out and was greeted with a bright light that almost blinded her clear blue eyes. Her silky bck hair reflected the sunlight, giving it a subtle glistening glow. As the scene before her gradually became clear, she saw a huge white manor right before her.
“This is the main manor of Chevalier, where the main family branch resides, including yourself. Both Marquis and Marchioness had been waiting for your arrival.”
“I see, then let us not keep them waiting. I would love to give my sincerest greetings to them for their generous and warm welcome.”
“Very well, ma’am. Please follow me.”
Once they arrived at the door to Marquis’s study, the butler informed him of Stel’s arrival before opening the door for her to walk in. She stood right before the Marquis and Marchioness, who watched every move of hers with such a gaze that was difficult to interpret. First and foremost, before anything else, Stel bowed respectfully at both with a humble smile.
“It has been a while, Marquis and Marchioness of Chevalier. It is my pleasure to see you two again, and I hope you two have been well.”
“Thank you, Stel. You’ve grown so much from the st time I’ve seen you.”
Marchioness giggled and gazed at the young alpha as she remembered the st time they met at the party when she was still a little girl standing next to her father and siblings. As of right now, Stel was 15 and had grown up so much that she had become quite a charming alpha for her age. Before they started talking about other matters, Marquis Hugh passed his condolences to Stel for losing her father, Duke Cedric Albrecht, a week ago.
“First and foremost, we would like to offer our condolences for Duke Cedric’s passing. It must be very hard for you and your siblings on the duke’s sudden departure.”
Stel’s father was the Duke of Northnd, who governed the whole Northnd territory, which meant that she was the youngest daughter of the Duke. He passed away in an accident as he was traveling back home in the middle of the night. It could only be specuted that the carriage slipped and fell off the cliff. As there were no survivors from this unfortunate tragedy and no one knew what truly happened, the incident was currently under investigation by her eldest half-brother Anthony, who was now the newly appointed Duke of Albrecht of the Northnd.
“We understand everything must be very sudden for you as well. We hope that you’ll be able to make yourself at home, and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to inform our butlers.”
“…I genuinely appreciate your offer, Marquis.”
Her father’s passing was very sudden, and she barely had time to grieve before she was sent off by her eldest brother to marry the daughter of Chevalier. It was a political marriage to further establish Chevalier and Albrecht’s long-standing allegiance. Anthony and his mother, Duchess Yvette, made these secret arrangements without her consent or acknowledgment. Stel knew that this was their intention to get rid of her since they had despised her and her mother for years. Now that Anthony had power as the duke, he showed no hesitation to remove them. As she was sent off, her mother was exiled and returned to her hometown, which was the opposite of her direction. Before they could continue the conversation any further, they all heard the knock, followed by a firm and familiar voice…
“Father, I heard that Stel has arrived at our manor?”
It was the feminine yet affirmative tone of an aristocratic dy, and Stel instantly recognized that voice. The marquis told his eldest daughter to enter and officially introduce herself to Stel, who would be her fiancé from today onwards. The alpha’s blue eyes narrowed as she turned around to see the omega dy giving her a formal bow with a calm smile.
“Lady Stel, I would like to introduce you to my daughter. This is Ophelia Chevalier, your fiancé.”
“—!”
She was at a loss for words, and the moment their eyes met, an image of a bloodied pink-haired woman in her arms fshed right in her head. Even though she was stunned for a couple of seconds, it felt like an eternity to her, and she couldn’t take her eyes away from the pink-haired omega. There was a mix of emotions stirring violently inside her heart, and it was mainly guilt that she felt towards her.
“It has been a while, Lady Stel. You can just address me as Ophelia. I hope we’ll get along with each other.”
“Ah…r-right. You can call me Stel as well.”
“Oh my, how cute! Is Lady Stel stuttering at our daughter’s beauty?”
The Marchioness teased the younger alpha since she clearly noticed that Stel was staring at her daughter without blinking an eye. Perhaps it was a good sign for the Marquis and Marchioness since they wanted both of them to get along with each other. Stel was slightly embarrassed since it wasn’t her intention to ogle at her like that.
“My apologies. It is that…Ophelia has changed so much since the st time I remembered.”
“That’s true! You two were still young when you st met each other. Ophelia, how about you take Stel to her room and give her a tour around the manor? This would be a great time for you to get to know and bond with each other.”
“I will, mother.”
Ophelia asked her to follow as they headed down the hallway to her bedroom, which was next to hers. The older omega led the way, and Stel followed right behind her as she couldn’t take her eyes away from her. Having a chance to see her alive once again made her feel relieved, mixed with guilt at the same time. Following right behind her, it was inevitable she would smell Ophelia’s pheromones. It was the same scent as she remembered—the fresh scent of vender in the morning spring. None of this came as a surprise to Stel because everything was going exactly as she remembered in her previous life. Right from when she woke up in the carriage to this moment.
Stel wasn’t even focused on the tour Ophelia was giving her since she already knew the entire yout of the Chevalier manor since she lived here for three full years in her past life. At first, she thought that this might just be a dream that she manifested out of pure guilt for Ophelia. But the more she felt the surroundings through her five senses, the harder the realization struck her that she was back in the past before everything happened.
“So that’s a general yout of the manor; it may feel overwhelming at the beginning, but I’m certain you’ll get used to it soon. If you’re unsure, please don’t hesitate to ask me. We also have two gardens, would you like to check them out?”
It didn’t take that long for Ophelia to finish giving a brief tour around the manor and introduce her to the important areas to remember, such as the kitchen, dining hall, and library.
“I would appreciate that.”
“Then let's go before our lunch hour. It would be nice for you to join us as well, so you get to meet with my brothers and sister.”
“Sure, then we should get going.”
As they headed to the garden together, Stel would recall the image of the bloodied pink-haired woman. She still remembered how cold Ophelia’s body was in her arms, and that piece of memory reminded her of the reason she was here. Her focus was no longer to survive in this hellhole, as she was not the same Stel back in the past. She stood right here with a new focus in her heart, and that was to save Ophelia from her ending.
“…It’s my turn to return the favor and save you.”
